Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemWaiting for the future: digital technologies and school communities( 2018)This thesis explores how two school communities envision the revolutionary potential of digital technologies in education, and their thinking about the ways in which the policies around ICT in education may impact on their current and future use of digital technologies for learning. Two research questions guided this thesis, firstly, how do the various members of a school community that includes students, parents, teachers, administrators, and leadership, think about and deal with the use of digital technology at school in the context of the Australian Digital Education Revolution Policy? And secondly, what differences and similarities in perception, emphasis and orientation are evident between students, parents, teachers, administrators, and leadership in their views of digital technology use and its possibilities and revolutionary potential? This study was conducted in two schools, in two different states of Australia, drawing on the views and experiences of the different members of each school community. Using a case-study approach and visual methods, members of these schools’ communities were asked to draw concept maps of their thinking and imaginings of the use of digital technologies in their school, as well as how they see these technologies being used in the future. The four findings chapters deal with teachers, students, and parents as separate groups, with the fourth findings chapter dealing with ICT Coordinators, Principals, and Department of Education Project Officers together. The findings of this study uncovered and interpreted three organising themes: practical concerns, concepts of education and the purpose of digital technologies, and affective orientations. These findings showed a complex and difficult relationship with digital technologies, with a range of hopes and concerns, as well as sometimes contradictory expectations and tensions being shown. The final chapter of this thesis brings together these organising themes into four underpinning narratives that are inherent in the responses of the various members of these school communities. The first narrative is ‘the nature of schoolwork’, which deals with the range of expectations and tensions about what now constitutes schoolwork. The next narrative examines the ‘computer as artefact’, and the ways in which the computer carries different meanings to different people, as well as the social, cultural, political, and economic dynamics involved in the use of computers in schools. Thirdly, the narrative of technological determinism deals with the idea that technology determines history and that it is therefore inevitable. Finally, the last narrative is the ‘myth of technological progress’ and the idea that technology is ‘progress’ and therefore a ‘good’ to be sought and accepted. This study proposes a number of implications, including the need for better consultation with all members of the school community when producing and implementing educational technology policies, as well as attention to the affective responses of school community members regarding technological change in schools.
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ItemUsing online collaborative learning spaces in primary mathematics education( 2017)Research has found that use of digital technologies in Australian primary mathematics classrooms is often superficial and focusses on the lower-order drilling of algorithms and basic facts (Day, 2013). The current Australian Curriculum mandates that technology be utilised to support students to “investigate, create and communicate mathematical ideas and concepts” (ACARA, 2014). The lack of alignment between research-based evidence and these curriculum requirements suggests a disconnect between the intended and expected use of technology within primary mathematics. In this study 54 year 5 students participated in online collaborative mathematical Problem Solving over a period of 9 weeks. The resultant text-based student-discussion and software derived artefacts (MS Word, Excel files etc) were investigated in an effort to understand how this approach aligns with Australian Curriculum expectations. Next, a Bakhtinian lens is applied to dialogue from the online student discussion as a means to understand the way that students construct and develop their ability to communicate mathematically. An examination of the frequency/ density of technical mathematical vocabulary use and identified examples of Mercer and Wegerif’s (1999) Talk Types is then used as a means to understand how often students within the online environment are likely to be engaged in work that might be considered productive within their learning. Perkins and Murphy’s (2006) Clarification, Inference, Assessment, Strategies (CAIS) model is utilized to gain an understanding of the types of higher Critical Thinking students engaged in when working in the online space. Finally, synthesis and analysis of semi-structured student interviews is offered as a means to understand how the students perceived collaborative mathematical online Problem Solving. Little research exists investigating primary school students use of online mathematical collaborative Problem Solving. This study shows that not only is this approach to utilising digital technologies in primary mathematics possible, but it offers opportunities for student Problem Solving, Reasoning, Critical Thinking and mathematical language development.
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ItemCooperative learning in computer-supported classes( 2005)This study was undertaken in conjunction with the Successful Integration of Learning Technologies (SILT) project in state schools in Victoria, Australia. The thesis reports an interpretative analysis of cooperative learning in computer-supported classes as it is currently conducted in selected Victorian primary schools. The framework for the study is grounded in the belief that cooperative learning encourages learning as a group as opposed to learning in a group (Slavin, 1980). The framework emphasises the importance of teachers using cooperative learning as a structure to enable students to think together. Therefore, analysis focuses on cooperative learning in a classroom context and the teachers’ units of work guiding the tasks they create. Using a mixed-method approach involving questionnaires, interviews and videotaped observations, the study was conducted in four sites with two teachers from each school and two groups of students from each class. (For complete abstract open document)
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ItemGraduate teachers and ICT: the prospect of transformative integration( 2013)This study is concerned with the enactment at the school level of policies that promote the transformation of learning and teaching through the integration of information and communications technologies (ICT) into schools. The study has a particular focus on how graduate teachers, drawn from a highly digital generation, enact their practices. In an ethnographic study, the ICT-based pedagogical practices of five graduate teachers in their first or second year of teaching were examined during one school year, to identify what factors influenced their pedagogical choices related to integrating ICT and the extent to which their practices were transformative. The study was set in a school ‘in the middle’ - an Australian metropolitan secondary school that was neither technology-rich nor technology-poor, that scored good, but not outstanding academic results, and that did not experience any particular measure of disadvantage. This study reconceptualises the integration of ICT by graduate teachers as a ‘wicked’ problem – one that is messy and complex and for which there is no single, easy solution. The study identifies three intertwined domains of factors – external, individual and socio-material domains – that mediate the pedagogical choices made by teachers when integrating ICT. Within the individual domain, the study shows that teachers’ beliefs and dispositions towards ICT integration are influenced by their folk pedagogies or experiences as learners themselves; the pedagogies they were explicitly taught in their teacher preparation; the signature pedagogies and culture of the disciplines into which they teach; and the built pedagogy, the physical spaces in which they teach. A socio-material perspective is shown to be essential when integrating ICT into school classrooms. The practices of the more experienced teachers have a significant influence on the pedagogical choices made by the graduate teachers, particularly when teaching out-of-field, and reveal a tendency towards reproduction rather than transformation of practice. However, the material world of the school and the local translation of policies, the little things, also have a significant influence on the pedagogical choices made by graduate teachers when integrating ICT. With so many factors shaping graduate teachers’ practices, the study discusses the prospects for transformative integration of ICT by graduate teachers, revealing that, although the socio-material world of the school tends towards reproduction rather than transformation of practice, graduate teachers exert agency in their pedagogical choices. The study identified three categories of agency among the study participants – those who deliberately adopted the dominant practices of their more experienced colleagues, those who reluctantly adopted such practices, and those who actively resisted the dominant practices. A fourth category is also suggested – the active transformer.
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ItemPedagogical and cognitive usability in online learning( 2013)The last decade has seen a sharp – and necessary – increase in attention to the quality of eLearning which has expanded a relatively new area of usability specifically for online learning: pedagogical usability. This research focuses on the usability attributes that contribute to effective eLearning and delineates those pertinent to teaching (pedagogical usability) and those specific to learning (cognitive usability). A multifarious methodology provided the elicitation of data from almost all conceivable and feasible angles of the execution of eLearning in a real-world setting – the main positions being: the pedagogical considerations from the teacher-developers’ planning sessions through to the use of a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) by students, as well as an in-depth usability inspection and evaluation of the Learning Management System (LMS) used as the tool for delivery. The project, in essence, put a microscope on the entire process of eLearning. The complementary use of twelve methods of data collection for rigorous triangulation provided a synergic framework that enabled the examination of each stage of eLearning. The analytical framework applied to the data comprised a complex integration of existing models and a specifically devised analytical model that assisted in the deconstruction of all the factors that contribute to pedagogical and cognitive usability. The study introduces the concept of cognitive usability as distinct from pedagogical usability on the grounds that certain features and contributing factors to VLEs are more teacher-driven (pedagogical) while others are more learner-consummated (cognitive). The study found that a VLE’s constitutional design is governed by teachers’ philosophies about teaching and learning and their teaching styles and repertoires which in turn are also governed by curriculum design; the teachers’ lack of techno-pedagogical skills coupled with the limitations of the eLearning platform hold an equally pivotal role in determining the VLE’s pedagogical usability. The study showed a strong relationship between the technical, pedagogical and cognitive usability of a VLE and found that using an LMS to create eLearning is fraught with problems that are rooted in the technical design of the LMS. Since LMSs are a mandatory feature in almost all educational institutions nowadays, the findings of this study are particularly important since so much research focuses on the use of eLearning without specifically addressing the software used to create it. While even a VLE with low techno-pedagogical usability can still facilitate learning outcomes, this study showed that approximately one third of VLE activity is ineffective due to poor LMS design which impacts on the VLE design, leading to low cognitive usability.
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ItemPrimary teachers and the Information and Communications Technology domain: figuring worlds, identities, knowledge and practices( 2010)This study investigates the development of teacher professional practice in the context of government education policy in Victoria (Australia) that aims, through the education of its youth, to shape a successful economy that capitalises on information and communications technology (ICT). Specifically, the study examines how selected primary teachers from an ICT network conceptualise, articulate and develop a body of knowledge to teach and implement the Information and Communications Technology domain of the Victorian Essential Learning Standards (Victorian Government, 2005) curriculum framework. Through a constructivist grounded theory approach, the study investigates the practices of six female teachers in three government primary schools as they implement changes to curriculum in response to government reforms and local expectations. The three primary schools are within close proximity of each other in a residential growth corridor on the fringes of metropolitan Melbourne, and serve a diverse and multicultural community. Innovation with ICT is seen as necessary for addressing the challenges that arise from the social and economic context of the research sites, and is integral to improvement plans in each of these schools. The participating teachers are regarded as leaders with ICT within their schools and their efforts are deemed intrinsic to their school’s plan. Rich descriptive data of these six teachers and how they construct their worlds is utilised to develop a theory of how teachers learn to teach with ICT, with a view to understanding how they continue to learn in the context of these changes. Change efforts often focus on the importance of knowledge building to empower professionals for new directions, however while a critical component, knowledge is not the only factor in increasing capability. The study highlights that learning to teach the ICT domain is more complex than developing content knowledge, pedagogical repertoire and skills in the use of ICT. It involves networked learning where values, beliefs, vision, practice and identities are made and remade. In making changes, teachers consider new ideas in light of the old, and through the lens of their core values and beliefs, they figure a technologically rich world of vast imaginings that they can embody. They author identities to assert themselves in relation to imposed positioning and prior conceptualisations. Through changed activity related to ICT, they redefine their conception of teaching and inhabit it with their activity and energy.
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ItemLearning with laptops: the impact of the ILP on gendered primary classrooms( 2010)Information and Communication Technology (ICT), an increasingly pertinent aspect of society, surrounds us and requires competency in order for us to function in our world. For many years, computers have been a constant for students within a classroom environment as has been the expectation of competency. Research has demonstrated however, that gender inequalities exist in the access, use, interest and perceived/actual ability of students using computers. If equality in the technological classroom is not achieved, females may be significantly disadvantaged and disengaged. Conducted under a qualitative framework, this longitudinal case study explored gender differences in two diverse technological environments at an Independent School in Melbourne’s southern suburbs, further examining the relationship between access, gender and student engagement. Data, in the form of interviews, surveys, observations and questionnaires, was collected from both students and their parents, and analysed with the assistance of the qualitative data analysis program QSR Nvivo8. When analysing and comparing data collected across the two stages of this project, it was found that the Independent Laptop Program (ILP) had positive effects on students’ knowledge, usage, access and ability in computers, and enabled participants to gain new knowledge whilst being involved in the study. In addition, there was a dramatic increase in personal satisfaction, student ability, and time spent with computers. The results indicated that there had also been a change in the ways in which computers were used by each gender. Furthermore, this study confirmed that when technical issues were encountered, students involved in this ILP were more willing to attempt to resolve the problem themselves, before asking for assistance from friends, family or teachers. These students still, however, continued to look towards men, whether at home or in the classroom, if they were unable to resolve the problem or if support was required. The results also indicated that older siblings, especially males, played a key role in influencing students with computers. Although positive changes became evident within the results collected in this study, the gender differences evident in Stage One of the project did not diminish with the introduction of the ILP. Thus, a new model of Engagement – the Cognitive, the Volitional and the Emotional – was proposed. Each of these areas needs to be addressed in an ILP classroom, in addition to providing adequate support structures and language reinforcement, in order to provide a successful program which minimises gender difference.
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ItemPedagogical strategies and the techno-savvy student: an investigation into the pedagogical strategies used by secondary school teachers( 2010)This study investigates the pedagogical strategies used by teachers in the classroom to cater for the techno-savvy secondary school student. The research in this study supports this view and provides the implications this has on teaching and learning in today’s classroom. The thesis seeks to explore the pedagogical strategies teachers use in the classroom and identify potential practices deficient in the use of ICT by teachers, along with the reasons behind this. The aim of the study was to consider how current pedagogy can improve the student learning environment, encourage self-motivation and engagement within the classroom. This thesis argues that students have a close relationship with technology, one that has begun at a young age. Their fascination with technology is cultured by a medium which allows them to express themselves and to communicate with a complex world. By using ICT within the classroom, teachers are able to tap into this, which in turn, can increase student participation, motivation and engagement. The research process comprised of gathering information through a series of interviews with teachers and students over a two month period. The significance of this study is that it has shown that students prefer to work with technology when completing class work, rather than more traditional methods of reading a textbook, copying down notes from the board and writing in their exercise book. This study has shown that traditional teaching approaches need to be reconsidered by teachers and contemporary approaches using ICT along with the right pedagogical strategies can change the face of teaching for the better.
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ItemThe impact of school leadership upon the successful integration of ICT across the curriculum in secondary schools( 2009)The question addressed in this study was “To what extent does the nature of school leadership influence the successful integration of ICT (Information and Communications Technology) across the curriculum?” I was led to my research questions through my passion for ICT and my commitment to and concerns about its usage in all areas of learning at the secondary school level. Furthermore, through my experiences as an Information Technology teacher and more significantly as a Technology Coordinator and a board member of the Victorian Information Technology Teachers’ Association, I have come to understand that ICT is more likely to be embraced and effectively implemented across several key learning areas if school leaders are willing to invest time, money and other resources into schooling educators about how to utilise ICT tools in their classrooms. A vital element of this investment is the nature of the support offered staff in learning about useful and new technologies and the way in which professional development is presented in this area. The study was significant because currently The Victorian Essential Learning Standards (VELS) is the mandated curriculum for all Victorian secondary schools, and ICT is a fundamental component of the Interdisciplinary Learning Strand that “…identifies a range of knowledge, skills and behaviours which cross disciplinary boundaries and are essential to ensuring students are prepared as active learners and problem-solvers for success at school and beyond” (VCAA, 2006). This suggests that ICT is a domain that is critical in all learning areas so that students are equipped to face the global environment which they encounter on a daily basis and which is rapidly expanding and permeating all facets of life. The methodology employed in this research was primarily qualitative, as I looked to present an interpreted understanding of a school culture in which ICT is not fully integrated across the curriculum, and to then effect change in that culture and curriculum by fostering the knowledge of school leaders in ICT. To this end, I hoped to more deeply inform the participants of the obstacles to ICT integration, and how these obstacles can be overcome, by engaging in dialogue with them about my analysis of observed and documented events. The outcomes suggested that ICT integration requires a whole school approach, guided by far-sighted leadership that is not afraid to investigate and enhance critical elements such as provision of targeted professional development for educators in the use of ICT tools and resources, is creative with budgets and overall models effective ICT use.